Kleftiko

Ingredients

Lamb

• 2 kglamb shoulder on the bone, in large pieces

Marinade

• juice of 2 lemons
• 100 mlolive oil
• 6 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 2 tbspdried oregano
• 1 tspground cinnamon
• 2 tspsalt
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 2bay leaves

Pot

• 4potatoes, in large chunks
• 2onions, in wedges
• 1cinnamon stick
• 150 ghalloumi, cubed, optional

To seal

• greaseproof paper and foil, or a sealed clay pot

To serve

• bread
• village salad

Directions

1. Kleftiko means stolen, and the name comes from the klephts, mountain fighters who cooked stolen lamb in sealed pits so no smoke or smell would give them away.
2. That sealing is the entire technique and everything else follows from it.
3. Mix the marinade and rub it into the lamb, working it into every crevice, then leave it overnight.
4. Bring the meat to room temperature before it goes in the oven.
5. Put the potatoes and onions in the base of a deep roasting tin or clay pot and lay the lamb on top.
6. Meat above, vegetables below. The lamb renders its fat down onto them for four hours, and there is no better way to cook a potato.
7. Add the cinnamon stick and pour over any remaining marinade.
8. Add almost no liquid at all, a few spoonfuls at most.
9. It cooks in its own juices, sealed. Added stock or wine boils the lamb rather than baking it, and you lose the concentrated flavour that makes the dish.
10. Cover the whole thing with greaseproof paper, then two layers of foil, and crimp the edges down hard against the rim.
11. Seal it completely and check for gaps. Any vent lets steam escape, the meat dries out, and the whole method fails.
12. Bake at 160°C (320°F) for 4 hours without opening it once.
13. Do not lift the foil to check. Every look loses the steam that is doing the work, and there is nothing to see for the first three hours anyway.
14. Add the halloumi through a small opening for the last 30 minutes if you are using it, then reseal.
15. It is done when the meat falls off the bone under a spoon and the potatoes have collapsed slightly into the fat.
16. Open it at the table if you can, because the smell when the foil comes off is half the pleasure.
17. Serve with bread to mop the juices and a village salad.

Technique

• In Cyprus it is cooked in a sealed clay oven, the fourno, and village tavernas still do it that way.
• Shoulder rather than leg. It has the fat and connective tissue that four hours needs.
• It cannot be rushed at a higher temperature; the collagen needs the time.

Substitutions

• Goat, which is traditional and takes slightly longer.
• A heavy casserole with a tight lid, sealed with foil under it.

Variations

• Cooked in individual parcels, one per person.
• With tomatoes and peppers among the vegetables.
• The Greek mainland version, often with more lemon and no cinnamon.

History

Lamb sealed in a clay oven and cooked for hours, named for the klephts, who hid their cooking from Ottoman authorities.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kleftiko?

Kleftiko is a main from Cyprus: lamb sealed and slow-baked in a clay oven. Lamb sealed in a clay oven and cooked for hours, named for the klephts, who hid their cooking from Ottoman authorities.

How long does Kleftiko take to make?

Kleftiko takes 25 min plus overnight marinating of preparation and 4 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Kleftiko?

Yes, within limits. Goat, which is traditional and takes slightly longer. A heavy casserole with a tight lid, sealed with foil under it.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kleftiko?

That sealing is the entire technique and everything else follows from it.